Southern California -- this just in

2 Marines detained in Redondo Beach; explosives allegedly found

April 6, 2012 | 6:45
am

Two Marines were taken into custody after explosive devices were allegedly found in their truck parked in a South Bay mall.

The Redondo Beach Police Department received a report at 8:10 p.m. Thursday that two Marines were driving a white Dodge pickup in Redondo Beach and were in possession of military explosives, KTLA-TV reported.

Officers found the pickup in the parking lot of a furniture store in the 1500 block of Hawthorne Boulevard in the South Bay Galleria.

They detained Devin Gajewski, 24, and Thomas Bazer, 21, both stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms. Authorities say both men admitted to having explosives inside the vehicle.

Officers cordoned off the parking lot and evacuated several stores. The L.A. County sheriff's bomb squad was called to the scene. They recovered 10 artillery simulator training aids from the truck.

The devices are similar to police "flash bang" devices and are commonly used in training to get soldiers used to the sound of explosives. Witnesses said that, before police arrived, the Marines were acting suspiciously.

"We went up to them, and we were going to tell them 'thank you' for supporting our country, and we asked them what's wrong and they told us to get away from them ... that something's wrong and we need to leave because the cops are coming," shopper Lisa Williams told KTLA-TV.

Naval Criminal Investigative Services responded and took the two men into custody. The NCIS will investigate why they were were transporting the devices in a civilian vehicle, and what they planned to do with them.